There are few dishes that take the bite out of a cold winter day than a great big bowl of chili.  And while I’ve been known to turn out some pretty darn good batches of chili, I really wanted to amp it up last weekend so I decided to smoke the beef before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.  The result?  A rich, smoky batch of goodness that the family truly loved!

SMOKED CHILI

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef

2 tbsp. canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

6 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. smoked paprika

3 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle powder

1 cup coffee

16oz. beef broth

15oz. can tomato sauce

14.5oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 15oz. kidney beans

2 tbsp. masa harina flour

Instructions

Prepare grill for indirect cooking and preheat to approximately 225 degrees.  Add 2-3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood once the Kingsford charcoal briquets have completely ashed over.

Form ground beef in to a large patty.  Place the ground beef on to the grill, cover and allow the meat to smoke for 30-45 minutes until cooked through.

Remove ground beef from the smoker or grill and set aside.  Add additional charcoal to the grill and allow it to preheat to medium-high heat, approximately 350 degrees.   Place a large pot on the grill and preheat canola oil.  Add onions and garlic and cook for approximately 10 minutes until onions have softened.

Add ground beef and break apart with a large spoon.  Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, chipotle powder, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, coffee, and beef broth to the pot.  Close the bottom vents on the grill to 2/3 and allow the chili mixture to simmer uncovered for 1 hour.

Add the beans and masa harina flour, stir well and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the chili from the grill and serve immediately along with your favorite garnishes.

 Recipe by Clint Cantwell; Courtesy of Kingsford.com